Google recently pulled an app from its Play store due to its reproduction of copyrighted elements of Apple's Control Center, but the app has since returned, again giving Android users a taste of the look and feel of the feature from iOS 7.

Control Center Control Center debuted earlier in July on Google's Play Store, with some Apple fans noting its unabashed similarity to the Control Center function in Apple's iOS 7. The Android app reproduces almost completely the look, feel, and functionality of Apple's forthcoming iOS feature, and even adds the ability to customize which features should be easily accessible.

The Android version of Control Center included the same swipe-up-from-bottom gesture that activates the iOS 7 version. Once activated, the app allowed users to control their Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, display brightness, and ringer volume settings, as well as airplane mode and several others.

Apple has not taken the imitation as flattery, though, and the iPhone maker sent notice to Google that the Android Control Center app did indeed infringe on aspects of Apple's iOS software. Google subsequently pulled the Control Center app from the Play Store, informing the app's developer of the decision via an email, which is reproduced in part below:

Location_of_copyrighted_work: The application ?Control Center?, which is available at https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.easyandroid.hi.controls, copies, without authorization, the ?Control Center? feature of Apple?s iOS 7. Apple owns the copyright in its iOS software and each of the features thereof. The aforementioned application infringes Apple Inc.?s (?Apple?) copyright rights in the iOS 7 software.

Since the initial version was pulled, though, the developer has posted yet another version that presumably removes whatever Apple said to be the offending material.

The functionality of Control Center, while novel for Apple's platform, is not new within the Android mobile segment. It is, in fact, similar in function to the persistent control menu available on Samsung Galaxy devices running that company's TouchWiz user interface. That feature has users swipe down from the top of the screen, whereupon they can access music, Bluetooth, screen rotation, and other controls. Samsung's version, though, is not accessible in all apps; full-screen games, for instance, do not show the pull-down bar for access. Apple's Control Center, though, appears accessible across all apps with the same swipe-up gesture.

The easy settings access Google introduced with Android 4.2 Jelly Bean also largely anticipates the functionality of Control Center, with quick access to Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and other settings, as well as music and screen brightness control. That feature, though, also lacks the universal gesture present in Apple's implementation.

Neither the developer's discussion of the copyright notice nor the subsequent reporting on the issue have detailed what exactly Apple found sufficient to issue a takedown notice. The Android app appeared to reproduce virtually every visual aspect of Apple's Control Center, though, so the actual visual presentation of the app may be at the center of the copyright issue, as opposed to any functionality.

Since all of iOS7 is basically a copy of Android holo light I'd think Apple would tread carefully here.

Even one of the local Apple spinners in one of his weekly rants could only come up something along the lines of 'Well it may look like Android, but its completely different because it has menus on the *bottom* instead of on the *top*' Revolutionary.

Either way who really cares, let Android users have a UI that looks similar if thats what they prefer... most of the functionality was borrowed from stock Android anyway. I hope Google lets Apple users keep their holo UI if that's what Apple users prefer too.

AI is reporting some third-party app that most people never knew about returned to Google Play without the infringing features? I am not sure how this warranted a news article.

I personally found it interesting and newsworthy for a site which posts information of interest to Apple fans. If want to debate news worthy items, why not go after mainstream news organizations for constantly posting front page articles about Justin Bieber or reality TV stars. If it does not interest you, dont read it.

"Building for the future?! They should be running around reacting to the present!" -John Moltz

Either way who really cares, let Android users have a UI that looks similar if thats what they prefer...

Looking at the download numbers it's clear that it's not what Android users prefer.

I always figured this was a joke app. I'm sure it works, but I looked at it as a "Hey, here's Apple's new control center but with more options and it's even customizable" type jab. Android users got a chuckle and proceeded not to use it. Hearing that the dev worked to get it back into the Play Store signals that he might actually care about the app. I'm surprised to learn that.

Since all of iOS7 is basically a copy of Android holo light I'd think Apple would tread carefully here.

Even one of the local Apple spinners in one of his weekly rants could only come up something along the lines of 'Well it may look like Android, but its completely different because it has menus on the *bottom* instead of on the *top*' Revolutionary.

Either way who really cares, let Android users have a UI that looks similar if thats what they prefer... most of the functionality was borrowed from stock Android anyway. I hope Google lets Apple users keep their holo UI if that's what Apple users prefer too.

Ah yes, this argument was expected. A variation of the "everyone copies from everyone so how dare Apple sue" argument. Apparently Google agreed with Apple in taking it down. Or did you miss that part?

Since all of iOS7 is basically a copy of Android holo light I'd think Apple would tread carefully here.

You really have to wonder about the moral depravity of people who know android is a blatant ripoff of iOS, and rather than accept that, instead run around making asinine claims that Apple copied Android.

It's as if they think everyone else is too stupid to know which came first. When Apple announces new features, Android adds them, and then these people claim that Android had it first and Apple is just copying them.

You think we're unable to grasp the concept of time?

I wonder if maybe these people are just running around screaming that Apple is copying in the deluded thought that if they scream loud enough and long enough that *they'll* believe it themselves?

Either way... just because google has gotten away with this theft so far doesn't make it right. You can't tell us asinine lies to try and pretend like it's ok.

It just makes you look bad. We're not going to forget the history of who came up with what first.

Android Holo Light looks like trash compared to iOS 7. It lacks parallax, it lacks color, and most of all it lacks 100% of the feel of iOS 7. There may have been some feature lift in the past on the Notification Center, but that's really all I have ever seen Apple "borrow" from Android. As a point of fact, Notification Center was a jailbreak hack that Apple officially implemented even.

That being said, that was in the Forstall era. This is the Ive era. The new Notification Center is a complete departure from the old one, and much better than any of stock trash on Android.

You really have to wonder about the moral depravity of people who know android is a blatant ripoff of iOS, and rather than accept that, instead run around making asinine claims that Apple copied Android.

It's as if they think everyone else is too stupid to know which came first. When Apple announces new features, Android adds them, and then these people claim that Android had it first and Apple is just copying them.

You think we're unable to grasp the concept of time?

I wonder if maybe these people are just running around screaming that Apple is copying in the deluded thought that if they scream loud enough and long enough that *they'll* believe it themselves?

Either way... just because google has gotten away with this theft so far doesn't make it right. You can't tell us asinine lies to try and pretend like it's ok.

It just makes you look bad. We're not going to forget the history of who came up with what first.

Well since you bring it up. Please explain to me how android is a blatant rip off of iOS. I still have yet to hear any evidence just rants. And also what feature did apple announced first that google then placed into android that android fans say was in android first. Please if you are going to make wild claims back them up.

Quote:

Originally Posted by danv2

Android Holo Light looks like trash compared to iOS 7. It lacks parallax, it lacks color, and most of all it lacks 100% of the feel of iOS 7. There may have been some feature lift in the past on the Notification Center, but that's really all I have ever seen Apple "borrow" from Android. As a point of fact, Notification Center was a jailbreak hack that Apple officially implemented even.

That being said, that was in the Forstall era. This is the Ive era. The new Notification Center is a complete departure from the old one, and much better than any of stock trash on Android.

iOS 7 looks like crap. It does not have scrolling wallpapers or widgets and it lacks 100% of the feel of android... See how using the same idiotic rationality will also make iOS 7 look bad when comparing to android if you subscribe to a way of thinking then you must accept that counter arguments using the same logic as true as well.. Have you used the notification center on android 4.1, it is miles ahead of Apple's iOS. Android notifications are expandable, Actionable.

Jessi, The history of who came up with the quick-settings overlay is Android had it first. Period. Fact. End of Story. In fact, they had it in two different ways: A persistent homescreen widget, and a pull-down. Way before iOS7, and before iOS6 even. The homescreen "Power Control" widget, all the way back to Android Gingerbread, allowed you to change brightness, wifi, gps, sync settings, and bluetooth with one touch. The pull-down was added for Jellybean.

Anyway, why do people care if a third party app down by some individual made something that looks like iOS, but no one cares about thousands and thousands of web sites that were designed to try and look like OSX or iOS? There are lots of mobile web apps which try to mimic iOS, but there's no outrage for that, but yet people are pissed off about someone doing it for Android?

This is precisely why the "installable app model, centrally controlled app-store" model is wrong and why the web is great, because no censorship can stop developers from doing whatever the hell they want with their HTML/CSS/JS/etc, but on mobile devices, you've got lawyers sending takedown notices to appstores for silliness like this.

Why are Apple fans so obsessed over absolute control? Enjoy your phone. If some guy makes an Android skin (because Android is fairly open and can be customized to look like anything) that makes it look like iOS, you should be flattered, not cheerleading for lawyers. If lawyers started suing Apple for slavishly copying features, or if some submarine patents showed up, ya'll be crying about a busted legal system.

The real story here is Google is started to behave like Apple in terms of controlling the App Store, which IMHO, is against their core Web philosophy. The Web is decentralized, federated, no one controls who can publish content. Turning mobile devices into portable game consoles in terms of publishing control is a massive regression backwards from 3 decades of evolution in computing. We've dealt with this crap for a long time with MPAA/RIAA/GEMA and onerous copyright assertions over fair use, derivative works, etc, and now we see it come to computing.

Since all of iOS7 is basically a copy of Android holo light I'd think Apple would tread carefully here.

Even one of the local Apple spinners in one of his weekly rants could only come up something along the lines of 'Well it may look like Android, but its completely different because it has menus on the *bottom* instead of on the *top*' Revolutionary.

Either way who really cares, let Android users have a UI that looks similar if thats what they prefer... most of the functionality was borrowed from stock Android anyway. I hope Google lets Apple users keep their holo UI if that's what Apple users prefer too.

If you really believe that iOS 7 looks and feels anything like Holo, which frankly, reminds me of user interfaces in the 90s, you're not using it.

I'm finding this quite funny, it will be interesting to see how many downloads this gets, especially considering how Android fans keep on talking down the iOS 7 makeover. ;-)

IOS control centre is WAY better than anything android has ever come up with. I mean come on. goggle obviously had someone on the inside to get there control centre copy out like a month before apple launched it. only an idiot would use that CRAPPER of an os.

IOS control centre is WAY better than anything android has ever come up with. I mean come on. goggle obviously had someone on the inside to get there control centre copy out like a month before apple launched it. only an idiot would use that CRAPPER of an os.

ANDROID copied everything from apple and the new ios RULES.

Android has had controls in the pull down notifications for 9 months now. That app was not developed by google its a third party app. Judging by your ignorance on the subject I can safely assume you have never used android to compare the notifications or control center.

If you really believe that iOS 7 looks and feels anything like Holo, which frankly, reminds me of user interfaces in the 90s, you're not using it.

I'm finding this quite funny, it will be interesting to see how many downloads this gets, especially considering how Android fans keep on talking down the iOS 7 makeover. ;-)

While it may have been updated and re-added toady, it's been out for a long time and is in the 1000-5000 installs range. That means it's not popular at all and hardly anyone uses it. As mentioned above, Android already has lots of these kinds of apps already. There are a prethora of the standard types that merge with the notification bar, widgets, and there's some traction with pie controls, but I wouldn't hold my breath for this app to take off.

This whole android and samsung thing is total embaressment for both companies and i have lost total respect for them.
And now the other news is that Samsung is doping the S4 for benchmark tests.. Cheating to get better stats...
Lowlife and embaressing.
Bunch of thugs and crooks!

As product categories mature, everybody adopts the better features of everybody else. There's a grey area between imitation being the sincerest form of flattery and outright copying, with everyone making their own decisions about which side any given feature falls. Of course sometimes you get some help in making those decisions from the other guy's lawyers.

of course I haven't used it. apple don't sell android so why would I use it. only an idiot would use it as it copy apple on every feature just because android have it a few days before when they rush it out after apple annonse it doesn't mean they invent it. apple invent it all and everyone copy them.

That feature has users swipe down from the top of the screen, whereupon they can access music, Bluetooth, screen rotation, and other controls. Samsung's version, though, is not accessible in all apps; full-screen games, for instance, do not show the pull-down bar for access. Apple's Control Center, though, appears accessible across all apps with the same swipe-up gesture

I tried this earlier on the womans GS3 and it was accessible in all apps. The bar is hidden until you make the motion at the top then it appears.

I put the original app on an S3 just to see what functionality it provided.
Not much worked...it couldn't find my Bluetooth headphones, it gimped the camera app which just hung, vibrate was disabled, touch was (more)jerky. I junked it in less than half a day.
Control Center in iOS7 is light years ahead.
The original shrieked 'Apple', the new one not so much.

Looking at the download numbers it's clear that it's not what Android users prefer.

I always figured this was a joke app. I'm sure it works, but I looked at it as a "Hey, here's Apple's new control center but with more options and it's even customizable" type jab. Android users got a chuckle and proceeded not to use it. Hearing that the dev worked to get it back into the Play Store signals that he might actually care about the app. I'm surprised to learn that.

If Control Center is "ripped off" from Android, could someone explain to me why this app even exists? Is this what you Droid types think "ripped off" means? Android slavishly copies iOS and you are led to believe everything ripped off from iOS was actually first on Android?

Since Android is a stolen product, Google should police their store more effectively.

Both Apple and Google need to monitor the products they approve for their digital stores more effectively. Apple frequently approves applications that are blatantly infringing on Nintendo's rights or even outright stealing their art and sound assets.

Or anybody remember the fake Pokemon game that hit #2 in the App Store?

Both Apple and Google need to monitor the products they approve for their digital stores more effectively. Apple frequently approves applications that are blatantly infringing on Nintendo's rights or even outright stealing their art and sound assets.

Or anybody remember the fake Pokemon game that hit #2 in the App Store?

Should Apple and Google also start censoring Web links as well? And hey, why don't we use PRISM to just scan everyone who had pirated warez and block their internet access. All hail intellectual property. Let us all celebrate patents, copyrights, DMCA takedown requests, and corporate profits. Hip hip hooray!

I vote we extend copyright from ~100 years to 1,000 years too. God forbid someone rips a ROM from a 1986 game and distributes it in an emulator. Hoo-boy, better make sure those authors are still paid, if they're still alive.

I always figured this was a joke app. I'm sure it works, but I looked at it as a "Hey, here's Apple's new control center but with more options and it's even customizable" type jab. Android users got a chuckle and proceeded not to use it. Hearing that the dev worked to get it back into the Play Store signals that he might actually care about the app. I'm surprised to learn that.

This aspect of the Android universe feels very reminiscent of all the Linux/X11 window manager skinning that was big circa 1995-2005. College kids recreating every commercial UI they could find for various reasons: sticking it to "the man", learning exercise, jokes, fame, whatever.

I guess it makes sense given that Android is the mobile incarnation of Linux. But it's really not as interesting (in the subversive sense) given that Google controls it rather than a loose-knit group of software developers (Torvalds, Cox, etc). Let's stick it to big commercial technology companies like Apple and Microsoft (but yet have our work benefit another one).

The functionality of iOS7 control center is a concept ripped directly from Android. I find it humorous that so many of the posters do not simply acknowledge that fact. The fact that apple has incorporated that interface is not a reason for debate, they are playing catch up with the JB community and Android. For that I am happy, it was very annoying that it required 6 steps to enable/disable wifi.

Each platform has pro and cons and most of the OS's have stolen something from someone. All you need to do is take a look at both Windows and OSX for a clear example. When developers see something they like it often brings convergence of features.